Is there a war in Turkey?

Yes. UCDP lists 1 active armed conflict with fighting recorded in Turkey.

None at war level (1,000+ deaths in a year). Largest: Turkey: Kurdistan (mainly in Iraq), 55 deaths in 2025.

Updated 30 October 2026 · UCDP data through 30 September 2026 · View on map →

Deaths recorded in Turkey in 2025

10in state-based fighting

0in fighting between armed groups

1in attacks on civilians (one-sided violence)

UCDP GED Global 26.1: best estimates for events located in Turkey (as UCDP places them), by type of violence. The three are shown separately, as UCDP counts them, and are not added together here.

The conflict

Each conflict as UCDP defines it: a dispute with at least 25 battle-related deaths in a year. Figures are UCDP best estimates; the newest months are preliminary and can change. UCDP does not record who started each clash.

Armed conflictState-based conflict · UCDP start year 1983

Turkey: Kurdistan

55deaths in 2025UCDP Battle-Related Deaths Dataset 26.1 (conflict level)

36,182total 1989–2025sum of the UCDP yearly figures below (36 years listed)

Who is fighting: Government of Turkey vs PKK

1989highest: 4,1652025

Grey: year not in the dataset (UCDP lists a conflict-year only with at least 25 deaths).

Latest recorded fighting: December 2025

Conflict-wide figures (not only Turkey). Also recorded in: Iraq.

Figures by year

Year	Deaths (best estimate)
2025	55
2024	239
2023	386
2022	760
2021	493
2020	431
2019	630
2018	940
2017	756
2016	1,074
2015	906
2013	32
2012	853
2011	558
2010	356
2009	219
2008	681
2007	664
2006	349
2005	377
2004	276
2003	153
2002	105
2001	186
2000	177
1999	1,363
1998	2,074
1997	3,902
1996	3,974
1995	3,738
1994	4,165
1993	2,309
1992	1,663
1991	370
1990	526
1989	442

UCDP conflict page · CrisisWatch: Iraq · View on map →

Military personnel

512,000own armed forces (2020)World Bank / IISS · active + paramilitary

Foreign military personnel in Turkey

United States1,637

assigned · 31 Aug 2026 · DoD DMDC

United Kingdompartly withheld

stationed · 1 Apr 2026 · UK MOD

Army 30, RAF 10, RN/RM withheld (each rounded to 10)

Other countries may have forces here; only official, reusable figures are shown.

Other countries with active armed conflicts in Middle East

Bahrain Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen

All countries →

Sources and licences

Conflicts and deaths: Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), ucdp.uu.se/downloads, CC BY 4.0. Data through 30 September 2026.
Military personnel: World Bank, Armed forces personnel, total (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1); original source IISS, The Military Balance; CC BY 4.0.
Foreign military personnel: UN Department of Peace Operations, uniformed personnel contributions (UN Peace and Security Data Hub, via HDX) (as of 31 Jul 2026, CC BY-IGO 3.0); UK Ministry of Defence, Annual Location Statistics, table 1.1b (as of 1 Apr 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0); Ministère des Armées, Les chiffres clés de la Défense 2026, p.20 (État-major des armées, April 2026) (as of Apr 2026, Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0); DoD Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), Location Report (as of 31 Aug 2026, US government work, public domain).
Protests: The GDELT Project, GDELT 2.0 Event Database; automated, unverified.
Links only (nothing copied): CrisisWatch (© International Crisis Group), GOV.UK travel advice (OGL v3.0), U.S. Department of State (public domain), War WATCH (Geneva Academy), ReliefWeb (UN OCHA).

🇹🇷Is there a war in Turkey?